An Indonesian judicial team in East Timor to investigate violence by
Jakarta's military and its local allies last year faced a hostile
reception at the weekend.

Many ordinary Timorese believe that Indonesia, with no tradition of an
impartial judiciary, is incapable of providing justice.

"There seems to be cynicism by the people of East Timor concerning
'Black September'. It seems there is a game being played between the TNI
[Indonesian military] and the Attorney-General's department," a
journalist from The Timor Post said.

The Indonesians are gathering evidence on five incidents of murder and
mass murder around the August30 vote on self-determination. However, they
said they had yet to question Eurico Guterres, one of East Timor's most
notorious militia commanders, about the massacre of 12 people at the
Carrascalao house in Dili.

Several East Timorese witnesses say they feel so strongly they are
prepared to travel to Jakarta to testify - a dangerous offer given that
most of the militia leaders and military officers behind the bloodshed
live freely in Indonesia.

UN officials in Dili say as many as 1,500 independence supporters were
killed in two weeks of unchecked mayhem after East Timor voted to end 24
years of Indonesian occupation.

It has also emerged that some in the UN mission in East Timor fear that
pursuing militia leaders would harm attempts to heal relations between the
two countries.

The independence leader Jose Xanana Gusmao, who is expected to be East
Timor's first democratically elected president, has also raised privately
the possibility of blanket pardons for militia leaders.

By contrast, Bishop Carlos Belo has been a staunch advocate of legal
proceedings.

Political analysts said that highly publicised arrests and trials of
militia and military leaders would be likely to jeopardise attempts to
secure the return of some 120,000 East Timorese still in Indonesian
military-controlled camps in West Timor. With an eye on elections within
two years, they say 120,000 is also a lot of votes.

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